In July 2021, NROC, MARCO, and CSSF announced that they were selected to host the Regional Wildlife Science Entity (RWSE). The RWSE supports research and monitoring on wildlife and offshore wind by:
- Identifying priorities for scientific research and monitoring at the project, regional and ecosystem-wide scales
- Coordinating and aligning funding to meeting those priorities
- Ensuring appropriate data and standards are in place to support science priorities
Read the July 2021 announcement from NROC, MARCO, and CSSF.
Updates
- In July 2021, the Interim Steering Committee finalized the RWSE Governance Structure. This document articulates a governance structure for the RWSE as a collaborative entity among four Sectors – federal agencies, state agencies, environmental non-governmental organizations, and offshore wind companies.
- The Interim Steering Committee developed an Annual Work Plan.
- RWSE Staff are working with the Interim Steering Committee to organize meetings of each Sector’s Caucus for early fall.
- State Caucus – October 21
- Federal Caucus – November 9
- Offshore Wind Industry Caucus – TBD
- eNGO Caucus – TBD
- The Interim Steering Committee has identified four expert Subcommittees as high priority to convene in 2021. These Subcommittees will leverage the expertise an experience of existing NROC-MARCO working groups including Marine Life and Seafloor Habitat.
RWSE Subcommittees to be convened in 2021:
- Marine Mammals – access materials here
- Birds and Bats
- Habitat and Ecosystem
- Cross-taxa / cross-cutting, co-convened with NYSERDA E-TWG
Background
Since 2019, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and a broad set of stakeholders developed a vision for a regional science organization to support research and monitoring for wildlife and offshore wind energy. Representatives from federal agencies, state agencies, offshore wind developers and non-governmental organizations will guide the future work of the RWSE via participation in the Steering Committee. The committee will leverage the expertise of these entities, many of which are already involved in a host of studies to evaluate potential effects of offshore wind development on wildlife and ecosystems. Scientific and technical experts throughout the region will also be invited to provide input on topics such as research priorities, monitoring methods, interpretation of results, and data management.
